Easy Keto Carnivore Braised Short Ribs

Keto Braised Short Ribs Recipe

If you are after tender, juicy, fall off the bone beef, then you must make short ribs! There are many ways to prepare beef short ribs but one of my favorite ways is to braise them in chicken stock. Cooking your short ribs this way is a forgiving method of cooking them. You can let them simmer in the oven, while they bathe in bone broth for a few hours or until they pull away from the bone and are fork tender. Since beef short ribs are a bit tougher cut of meat they benefit from cooking at low heat over a longer period of time. I designed this recipe for the meat-eaters out there. If you’re on a carnivore diet, you’ll love that these short ribs use only animal-based ingredients. Following keto instead? Make the recipe as is or add garlic, herbs, or vegetables like onions, celery, and zucchini. Either way, you can’t go wrong. If you are on the carnivore diet and looking for other meat recipes, try cooking beef back ribs on the Traeger grill

What Are Short Ribs?

Beef short ribs come from the area of ribs a little bit farther down closer to the belly of the cow. They tend to have a high fat content which is why they are so tasty and 100% keto and carnivore diet approved. There is a lot of intramuscular fat on short ribs which acts as an insulator to prevent from overcooking the meat.

English vs Flanken Cut Short Ribs

There are two cuts of short ribs – English cut and flanken cut. When the ribs are cut into long slabs with bone about 4 to 6 inches in length, the ribs are called “English cut”. When the ribs are cut across the bone yielding each slice with 4 to 5 short sections of bone, the ribs are known as “flanken-style ribs”. Flanken-style ribs don’t take very long to cook and are best prepared grilled. In this recipe I’m using English cut ribs.

How To Buy Short Ribs

If you have ever bought short ribs before, you know they can vary in quality. A better cut of short rib comes from higher up on the ribs, close to where ribeye steaks are cut. The top six inches from this location yields the best short ribs. Normally, most butchers will include two ribs from this section and two ribs from the lower section. Ribs cut lower have a skimpy amount of meat and really aren’t worth cooking because there’s hardly a lick of meat on them.

What is Braising?

Braising is the act of cooking a piece of meat slowly in a moist environment, called the braising liquid. In this low-carb short rib recipe, I’m slow cooking short ribs in chicken broth in the oven at a constant 325 degrees.

Best Cooking Liquid for Braising

I usually cook with chicken broth. It’s my go-to braising liquid because it pairs with everything. I don’t always have beef broth on hand, but always have chicken broth. You can definitely cook with beef broth or even just use water for your braising liquid. I prefer to use chicken bone broth for braising in my carnivore cooking. The bone broth has extra nutrients in it to help with gut and bone health.  

Dutch Ovens

When it comes to braising meats, it’s best to use a Dutch oven as your pot of choice. A Dutch oven is often made of cast iron and will help your meat and liquid heat evenly and keep a constant cooking temperature throughout the whole cooking process.